Seeing Ward Cameron sets something off in me. This desire to kill him the way I killed my dad is strong enough for me to need to dig my nails into my palm. The only difference between them is that killing my father had been on accident and killing Ward was really, really tempting. I quickly turn away from him, getting off the bins we're standing on so I physically cannot look at him anymore.
I run my fingers over my braid, tracing the red streaks. The red streaks I got to rebel against the man that has run inside - the red streaks I got because red reminds me of blood. Blood that Ward Cameron, Rafe Cameron, and Gwen Turner have all shed during this adventure.
Maybe I'm not all that different from them.
Maybe my mother has a reason to be terrified of me. My father had been pushing me to my limits since I can remember. He had pushed Jake too.
[ There was another body that night. I know it.
Jake had killed.
My brother had killed someone who threatened me to get to him. That had been the reason he had even gone to such a place: to protect me before I was even in any real danger. They had taken me as collateral... to keep him from continuing his quest with Big John. He had gone to rescue me. He killed to get to me. And then told me to hide. ]
Soon, we're watching the interaction above.
I realize with a start that we're there. The high unfinished building that's been a 'work in progress' for years. Jake Turner died here. And I'm cursing under my breath, turning away once more to press my palms to my eyes. I hear the others talking.
And then gunshots.
My eyes open at the sound. The others have gotten down out of shock, leaning back against the small wall. JJ is panicking next to me. For some reason, the fact that Ward's worse than me is calming as I put my hand over the blonde's as if I haven't been wrestling with my thoughts for the last half hour.
"Tell me you just got that," JJ says.
Pope nods. "Enough to put this asshole away for life. Hold on, he's coming out. I think he's looking for the gun." Pope exclaims in surprise. "I think the gun just went down the drain. He's looking for it."
Kiara gets up. "What is wrong with you?" She shouts. "Murderer!" Taylor covers her mouth and pulls her back down.
"Are you crazy?" JJ demands.
"I don't care if he hears me," she argues, "he's a murderer."
That makes me bristle slightly. I had been fighting with myself for so long about the whole situation with my father that I hadn't really thought of how the others would react if they found out. Kiara, it seems, wouldn't like me anymore.
"He sees us," Pope warns. "Come on, we've gotta go. He's coming."
But as we're getting down, he fumbles with the camera. I push them all forward before they begin to argue about who's fault it was because even though my family might be filled with killers, Ward Cameron is on that high right now and I don't want to be here when he looks at the machine in Pope's hands.
Once we're in the car, JJ asks, "Can someone fill me on what the fuck just happened?"
"Ward Cameron just murdered someone who wanted to be paid better for keeping this whole thing with Rafe and Peterkin a secret," I offer.
YOU ARE READING
The Cool Kids - JJ Maybank
Fanfiction𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐨𝐧𝐞 - 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 John B. Routledge - the leader JJ Maybank - the rebel Taylor Maybank - the enforcer Kiara Carrera - the protector Pope Hayward - the one who makes the plans Unlike the pogues who begin this story, Gwen Turner...